Today marks National Domestic Violence Remembrance Day, a day to remember the women and children who have tragically lost their lives to domestic violence.
Candlelight vigils will be held across the country in memoriam and to help bring light to this national crisis.
Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison, said domestic and family violence had become endemic across NSW, and it needed to stop now.
“Domestic and family violence has plagued our nation for long enough and our government is determined to end this blight on our society,” Ms Harrison said.
“As we mourn those who have lost their lives due to violence, I stand in solidarity with our victim-survivors and families who grieve loved ones in the hope that one day, no woman or child will ever need to live with domestic and family violence.”
Violence against women and their children costs the Australian economy an estimated $26 billion each year .
Last year, there were 33,410 reports of domestic violence related assault and 11 murders of women and children in NSW alone.
Over the last ten years, there have been a total of 207 murders of women and children in NSW.
It is also estimated that around one in four Australian women have experienced some form of violence committed by an intimate partner since the age of 15.
“We want to prevent domestic violence and support victim-survivors, and we urge anyone who needs help to call the 24-hour support line so that we can get you the help you need,” Ms Harrison said.
“We are all entitled to live a life free of violence. No one should have to endure the trauma of intimate partner or family violence; we have support services that can help.”
The government are committed to taking urgent action again domestic and sexual assault in New South Wales, including:
- $923,000 a year to the NSW Sexual Violence Helpline to ensure they can continue to provide critical 24/7 state-wide specialist counselling services.
- Introducing longer-term five-year funding arrangements for key community service providers, including Domestic support services.
- Victim’s of Domestic Violence, will be treated as a first home buyer. There will be no stamp duty on properties under $800,000 and exemptions up to $1 million.
- Establishing a new specialist multicultural domestic and family violence centre in South Western Sydney which will increase accessibility to services and safety for migrant and refugee women by providing holistic, well informed and culturally appropriate responses to domestic violence.
- Doubling the funding of Women’s Health Centres where 80% of patients have experienced domestic or family abuse.
- Investing in an expansion of Lifeline’s services with an additional commitment of $8.2 million over 5 years to increase text and webchat services. This will offer better support to women in domestic abuse circumstances who are unable to reach out over the phone.